Rau Le Creuset
is a fictional character and the principal antagonist in the Japanese science fiction anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Pre-Gundam SEED Ruthless, enigmatic and mysterious, Rau Le Creuset is an elite ZAFT commander, a skilled mobile suit pilot, and an adept tactician, whose abilities are greatly valued by the ZAFT leadership. He always appears in public with his unique mask covering his face. He becomes famous early in the war during the Battle of Yggdrasil, using his ZGMF-1017M GINN High Maneuver Type mobile suit to destroy thirty-seven Earth Alliance mobile armors and six warships. This feat earns him the Order of the Nebula, a decoration awarded to ZAFT's most outstanding soldiers. After the Battle of Endymion Crater on the Moon, Le Creuset becomes the commander of the newly constructed ''Nazca''-class destroyer, Vesalius. Throughout the series, he takes part in various operations, but mostly stays behind on the Vesalius. Gundam SEED Heliopolis raid and Archangel pursuit Under his command, the ZAFT vessels Vesalius and Gamow attack the neutral colony Heliopolis, where the military contractor Morgenroete has been constructing prototype mobile suits for the Atlantic Federation. The raid ends with ZAFT capturing four of the prototype G-weapons. The colony is destroyed due to the use of heavy weaponry by both sides of the conflict, as ZAFT tries to capture or destroy the GAT-X105 Strike as well as the mobile suit carrier, ''Archangel''. Apart from attempts to take down the "Legged Ship" (ZAFT's codename for the Archangel), he shares a strange connection with Earth Alliance mobile armor pilot Mu La Flaga and the two are shown to have a rivalry of sorts throughout the war. True intentions Despite his allegiance with ZAFT, Rau bears no loyalty to it, or anyone, for that matter. Rau's true aim is to put an end to humanity and what he sees as a 'world of endless desires'. He believes he can accomplish this through the nuclear arsenal of the Earth Forces and GENESIS, ZAFT's super weapon. Furthermore, he believes he is the person best suited to carry out the judgment and execution of humanity. Rau seemingly does not value human life in the slightest—not even his own. His intentions almost come to fruition at the Battle of Jachin Due, but they are thwarted by Kira Yamato and the crew of the Archangel. His reputation is high enough that the ZAFT National Defense Committee Chairman, Patrick Zala, reveals to him the real plans for Operation Spitbreak. Le Creuset passes this information to the Atlantic Federation, then betrays Zala again by handing over confidential information regarding the nuclear technology behind the two Gundams, Freedom and Justice. This information is given to the Blue Cosmos Chairman, Muruta Azrael, who is also the director of the Azrael Conglomerate, the Earth Alliance's primary arms supplier. Neither Zala, members of the Supreme Council, nor ZAFT suspect Le Creuset of treason. Although Rau supposedly answers to Patrick Zala, it becomes quite clear that he is actually manipulating Chairman Zala. Origins A chance encounter with Mu La Flaga and Kira Yamato in the abandoned colony of Mendel reveals his true identity and motives. His birth name is Rau La Flaga, the direct clone of Mu La Flaga's father, Al Da Flaga. Considering his own son Mu as "nothing" because he was "diluted" by the inferior DNA of a mother, Al Da Flaga, a powerful and wealthy Atlantic Federation politician, conspired with Professor Ulen Hibiki to create clones of himself, of which Rau would be the first, and his heir, superior in every way to his brother, Mu, who was to be disinherited. Despite the fact that Coordinators had existed for quite some time, direct human cloning was illegal, but Al believed his wealth and influence put him above the law, and Dr. Hibiki agreed to this transaction in exchange for the funds to finance his Ultimate Coordinator project. Rau possesses spacial awareness, a trait he apparently inherited from his "father" and shares with his "brother" Mu. However, Rau has short telomeres within his DNA that cause him rapid aging problems. This is done intentionally, so that Rau can catch up to Mu in age and replace him. Rau takes a drug that stabilizes his aging; if he goes too long without taking the medication, he suffers intense pain. Rau eventually decides that Naturals and Coordinators are both unfit to live, and plans the destruction of both. He assumes the name "Rau Le Creuset" ("le creuset" being French for "the crucible"), donning his trademark mask to hide the shame of his resemblance to Al Da Flaga, he leaves the Earth to go to the PLANTs and joins the ZAFT military, where his piloting skills, intellect, and powers of persuasion ensure his rise to command. His spacial awareness abilities allow him to pass for a Coordinator. Rau believes that all people are selfish creatures who will do anything to "get ahead." He justifies this point of view by his very existence: he is the direct result of human hubris - cloning. While he believes that humanity will eventually wipe itself out, he is not satisfied with waiting for that to happen on its own and works towards making that end a reality. To help this plan, he leaks to the Earth Alliance the N-jammer canceller technology used to create the ZGMF-X10A Freedom and ZGMF-X09A Justice through a disc he entrusts to Flay Allster, who he captures during the Battle of JOSH-A. This eventually leads to the use of nuclear missiles by the Earth Alliance, and the eventual destruction of the ZAFT military asteroid Boaz and ZAFT counters with the GENESIS superweapon. Second battle of Jachin Due In the final battle of the war, Rau pilots the ZGMF-X13A Providence, the final ZAFT Gundam. Rau cripples the Strike and the Buster and destroys an escape shuttle launched from the Dominion that contains Flay Allster. He then battles with Kira Yamato in the ZGMF-X10A Freedom. Rau damages the Freedom using the DRAGOON System installed in the Providence and yells out his beliefs of humanity and their need to be like Kira; however, Kira cripples the Providence with an attack that penetrates the cockpit and Rau and his mobile suit are destroyed by the self-destruction of GENESIS, dying with a smile on his face. Gundam SEED Destiny Although Rau dies at the end of Gundam SEED, he appears in flashbacks in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Kira remembers of Rau, and tries to ensure that no one like Rau threatens mankind's future again. In episode 29, Gilbert Durandal, Rau's former friend and doctor, imagines conversing and playing a metaphysical game of chess with Le Creuset. Le Creuset asks Durandal why he feels humanity is worth saving, and pities him for believing that anything other than disappointment, reminding Durandal of his own failure to save him. Durandal swears that he will do anything to ensure the continued survival of humanity, no matter what the cost of that might be. In games In the SD Gundam G Generation series, Super Robot Wars J, and the Gundam Wars card game, he is listed as a Newtype. However, the term Newtype was never officially used in Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny and the category of characters with his abilities was unnamed. References Category:Mobile Suit Gundam SEED characters Category:Fictional clones Category:Fictional military personnel Category:Fictional commanders Category:Fictional telepaths Category:2002 introductions